Hyperspectral imaging combined with GA-SVM for maize variety identification.

The demand for identification of maize varieties has increased dramatically due to the phenomenon of mixed seeds and inferior varieties pretending to be high-quality varieties continuing to occur. It is urgent to solve the problem of efficient and accurate identification of maize varieties. A hyperspectral image acquisition system was used to acquire images of maize seeds. Regions of interest (ROI) with an embryo size of 10 × 10 pixel were extracted, and the average spectral information in the range of 949.43-1709.49 nm was intercepted for the subsequent study in order to eliminate random noise at both ends. Savitzky-Golay (SG) smoothing algorithm and multiple scattering correction (MSC) were used to pretreat the full-band spectrum. The feature wavelengths were screened by successive projection algorithms (SPA), competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS) single screening, and two combinations of CARS-SPA and CARS + SPA, respectively. Support vector machines (SVMs) and models optimized based on genetic algorithm (GA), particle swarm optimization (PSO) were established by using full bands (FB) and feature bands as the model input. The results showed that the MSC-(CARS-SPA)-GA-SVM model had the best performance with 93.00% of the test set accuracy, 8 feature variables, and a running time of 24.45 s. MSC pretreatment can effectively eliminate the scattering effect of spectral data, and the feature wavelengths extracted by CARS-SPA can represent all wavelength information. The study proved that hyperspectral imaging combined with GA-SVM can realize the identification of maize varieties, which provided a theoretical basis for maize variety classification and authenticity identification.

Photocatalytic Nitrogen Fixation Coupled with the Generation of Value-Added Chemicals from N2 and Cellulose over MoO3 Nanosheets.

Photocatalytic nitrogen fixation from N2 provides an alternative strategy for ammonia (NH3) production, but it was limited by the consumption of a sacrificial electron donor for the currently reported half-reaction system. Here, we use naturally abundant and renewable cellulose as the sacrificial reagent for photocatalytic nitrogen fixation over oxygen-vacancy-modified MoO3 nanosheets as the photocatalyst. In this smartly designed photocatalytic system, the photooxidation of cellulose not only generates value-added chemicals but also provides electrons for the N2 reduction reaction and results in the production of NH3 with a maximum rate of 68 µmol·h-1·g-1. Also, the oxygen vacancies provide efficient active sites for both cellulose oxygenolysis and nitrogen fixation reactions. This work represents useful inspiration for realizing nitrogen fixation coupled with the generation of value-added chemicals from N2 and cellulose through a photocatalysis strategy.

Mechanical Strain Induces and Increases Vesicular Release Monitored by Microfabricated Stretchable Electrodes.

Exocytosis involving the fusion of intracellular vesicles with cell membrane, is thought to be modulated by the mechanical cues in the microenvironment. Single-cell electrochemistry can offer unique information about the quantification and kinetics of exocytotic events, however, the effects of mechanical force on vesicular release has been poorly explored. Herein, we developed a stretchable microelectrode with excellent electrochemical stability under mechanical deformation by microfabrication of functionalized poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) conductive ink, which achieved real-time quantitation of strain-induced vesicular exocytosis from a single cell for the first time. We found that mechanical strain could cause calcium influx via the activation of Piezo1 channel in chromaffin cell, initiating the vesicular exocytosis process. Interestingly, mechanical strain increases the amount of catecholamines release by accelerating the opening and prolonging the closing of fusion pore during exocytosis. This work is expected to provide a revealing insight on the regulatory effects of mechanical stimuli on vesicular exocytosis.

Double synergic chitosan-coated poly (lactic-co-glycolic) acid nanospheres loaded with nucleic acids as an intranasally administered vaccine delivery system to control the infection of foot-and-mouth disease virus.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The spread of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) through aerosol droplets among cloven-hoofed ungulates in close contact is a major obstacle for successful animal husbandry. Therefore, the development of suitable mucosal vaccines, especially nasal vaccines, to block the virus at the initial site of infection is crucial. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Here, we constructed eukaryotic expression plasmids containing the T and B-cell epitopes (pTB) of FMDV in tandem with the molecular mucosal adjuvant Fms-like tyrosine kinase receptor 3 ligand (Flt3 ligand, FL) (pTB-FL). Then, the constructed plasmid was electrostatically attached to mannose-modified chitosan-coated poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) nanospheres (MCS-PLGA-NPs) to obtain an active nasal vaccine targeting the mannose-receptor on the surface of antigen-presenting cells (APCs). RESULTS: The MCS-PLGA-NPs loaded with pTB-FL not only induced a local mucosal immune response, but also induced a systemic immune response in mice. More importantly, the nasal vaccine afforded an 80% protection rate against a highly virulent FMDV strain (AF72) when it was subcutaneously injected into the soles of the feet of guinea pigs. CONCLUSIONS: The nasal vaccine prepared in this study can effectively induce a cross-protective immune response against the challenge with FMDV of same serotype in animals and is promising as a potential FMDV vaccine.

Analysis of road traffic accidents and casualties associated with electric bikes and bicycles in Guangzhou, China: A retrospective descriptive analysis.

Introduction: Electric bicycles (e-bikes) and bicycles in large Chinese cities have recently witnessed substantial growth in ridership. According to related accident trends, this study analyzed characteristics and spatial distribution in the period when e-bike-related accidents rapidly increased to propose priority measures to reduce accident casualties. Methods: For e-bike- and bicycle-related accident data from the Guangzhou Public Security Traffic Management Integrated System, linear regression was used to examine the trends in the number of accidents and age-adjusted road traffic casualties from 2011 to 2021. Then, for the period when e-bike-related accidents rapidly increased, descriptive statistics were computed regarding rider characteristics, illegal behaviors, road types, collision objects and their accident liability. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Bonferroni's multiple comparison test. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Finally, the density distribution of accidents was presented, and Moran's I (MI) was used for assessing spatial autocorrelation. Hotspots were identified based on an optimized hotspot analysis tool. Results: Between 2011 and 2021, the number of accidents and casualty rate (per 100,000 population) increased for e-bikes but decreased for bicycles. After 2018, e-bike-related accidents increased rapidly, and bicycle-related accidents plateaued. Accident hotspots were concentrated in central city areas and suburban areas close to the former. Three-quarters of accidents occurred in motorized vehicle lanes. Most occurred on roads without physically segregated nonmotorized vehicle lanes. More than three-fifths of the accidents involved motor vehicles with at least four wheels. The prevalence (per 100 people) of casualties among e-bike rider victims and cyclist victims accounted for 92.0 % and 96.5 %, respectively. A total of 71.6 % of e-bike-related accidents involved migrant workers. Riding in motorized vehicle lanes was the most common illegal behavior. Conclusions: Although e-bike-related and bicycle-related accidents presented similar characteristics, the sharp increase in e-bike-related accidents requires attention. To improve e-bike safety, governments should develop appropriate countermeasures to prevent riders from riding on motorways, such as improving road infrastructure, adjusting the driver's license system and addressing priority control areas.

Identification of Hsp20 gene family in Malus domestica and functional characterization of Hsp20 class I gene MdHsp18.2b.

Heat shock protein 20 (Hsp20) is a small molecule heat shock protein that plays an important role in plant growth, development, and stress resistance. Little is known about the function of Hsp20 family genes in apple (Malus domestica). Here, we performed a genome-wide analysis of the apple Hsp20 gene family, and a total of 49 Hsp20s genes were identified from the apple genome. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the 49 genes were divided into 11 subfamilies, and MdHsp18.2b, a member located in the CI branch, was selected as a representative member for functional characterization. Treatment with NaCl and Botryosphaeria dothidea (B. dothidea), the causal agent of apple ring rot disease, significantly induced MdHsp18.2b transcription level. Further analysis revealed that overexpressing MdHsp18.2b reduced the resistance to salt stress but enhanced the resistance to B. dothidea infection in apple calli. Moreover, MdHsp18.2b positively regulated anthocyanin accumulation in apple calli. Physiology assays revealed that MdHsp18.2b promoted H2O2 production, even in the absence of stress factors, which might contribute to its functions in response to NaCl and B. dothidea infection. Hsps usually function as homo- or heterooligomers, and we found that MdHsp18.2b could form a heterodimer with MdHsp17.9a and MdHsp17.5, two members from the same branch with MdHsp18.2b in the phylogenetic tree. Therefore, we identified 49 Hsp20s genes from the apple genome and found that MdHsp18.2b was involved in regulating plant resistance to salt stress and B. dothidea infection, as well as in regulating anthocyanin accumulation in apple calli.

Predictive Model to Identify the Long Time Survivor in Patients with Glioblastoma: A Cohort Study Integrating Machine Learning Algorithms.

We aimed to develop and validate a predictive model for identifying long-term survivors (LTS) among glioblastoma (GB) patients, defined as those with an overall survival (OS) of more than 3 years. A total of 293 GB patients from CGGA and 169 from TCGA database were assigned to training and validation cohort, respectively. The differences in expression of immune checkpoint genes (ICGs) and immune infiltration landscape were compared between LTS and short time survivor (STS) (OS<1.5 years). The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) were used to identify the genes differentially expressed between LTS and STS. Three different machine learning algorithms were employed to select the predictive genes from the overlapping region of DEGs and WGCNA to construct the nomogram. The comparison between LTS and STS revealed that STS exhibited an immune-resistant status, with higher expression of ICGs (P<0.05) and greater infiltration of immune suppression cells compared to LTS (P<0.05). Four genes, namely, OSMR, FMOD, CXCL14, and TIMP1, were identified and incorporated into the nomogram, which possessed good potential in predicting LTS probability among GB patients both in the training (C-index, 0.791; 0.772-0.817) and validation cohort (C-index, 0.770; 0.751-0.806). STS was found to be more likely to exhibit an immune-cold phenotype. The identified predictive genes were used to construct the nomogram with potential to identify LTS among GB patients.

Parametric analysis of craniocerebral injury mechanism in pedestrian traffic accidents based on finite element methods.

PURPOSE: The toughest challenge in pedestrian traffic accident identification lies in ascertaining injury manners. This study aimed to systematically simulate and parameterize 3 types of craniocerebral injury including impact injury, fall injury, and run-over injury, to compare the injury response outcomes of different injury manners. METHODS: Based on the Total Human Model for Safety (THUMS) and its enhanced human model THUMS-hollow structures, a total of 84 simulations with 3 injury manners, different loading directions, and loading velocities was conducted. Von Mises stress, intracranial pressure, maximum principal strain, cumulative strain damage measure, shear stress, and cranial strain were employed to analyze the injury response of all areas of the brain. To examine the association between injury conditions and injury consequences, correlation analysis, principal component analysis, linear regression, and stepwise linear regression were utilized. RESULTS: There is a significant correlation observed between each criterion of skull and brain injury (p < 0.01 in all Pearson correlation analysis results). A 2-phase increase of cranio-cerebral stress and strain as impact speed increases. In high-speed impact (> 40 km/h), the Von Mises stress on the skull was with a high possibility exceed the threshold for skull fracture (100 MPa). When falling and making temporal and occipital contact with the ground, the opposite side of the impacted area experiences higher frequency stress concentration than contact at other conditions. Run-over injuries tend to have a more comprehensive craniocerebral injury, with greater overall deformation due to more adequate kinetic energy conduction. The mean value of maximum principal strain of brain and Von Mises stress of cranium at run-over condition are 1.39 and 403.8 MPa, while they were 1.31, 94.11 MPa and 0.64, 120.5 MPa for the impact and fall conditions, respectively. The impact velocity also plays a significant role in craniocerebral injury in impact and fall loading conditions (the p of all F test < 0.05). A regression equation of the craniocerebral injury manners in pedestrian accidents was established. CONCLUSION: The study distinguished the craniocerebral injuries caused in different manners, elucidated the biomechanical mechanisms of craniocerebral injury, and provided a biomechanical foundation for the identification of craniocerebral injury in legal contexts.

A 66-Nuclear All-Alkynyl Protected Peanut-Shaped Silver(I)/Copper(I) Heterometallic Nanocluster: Intermediate in Copper-Catalyzed Alkyne-Azide Cycloaddition.

Ligand-protected heterometallic nanoclusters in contrast to homo-metal counterparts show more broad applications due to the synergistic effect of hetero-metals but their controllable syntheses remain a challenge. Among heterometallic nanoclusters, monovalent Ag-Cu compounds are rarely explored due to much difference of Ag(I) and Cu(I) such as atom radius, coordination habits, and redox potential. Encouraged by copper-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction, comproportionation reaction of Cu(II)X2 and Cu(0) in the presence of (PhC≡CAg)n complex and molybdate generated a core-shell peanut-shaped 66-nuclear Ag(I)-Cu(I) heterometallic nanocluster, [(Mo4O16)2@Cu12Ag54(PhC≡C)50] (referred to as Ag54Cu12). The structure and composition of Ag-Cu heterometallic nanocluster are fully characterized. X-ray single crystal diffraction reveals that Ag54Cu12 has a peanut-shaped silver(I)/copper(I) heterometallic nanocage protected by fifty phenylacetylene ligands in µ3-modes and encapsulated two mutually twisted tetramolybdates. Heterometallic nanocage contains a 54-Ag-atom outer ellipsoid silver cage decorated by 12 copper inside wall. Nanosized Ag54Cu12 is a n-type narrow-band-gap semiconductor with a good photocurrent response. Preliminary experiments demonstrates that Ag54Cu12 itself and activated carbon supported Ag54Cu12/C are effective catalysts for 1,3-dipole cycloaddition between alkynes and azides at ambient conditions. The work provides not only a new synthetic route toward Ag(I)-Cu(I) nanoclusters but also an important heterometallic intermediate in CuAAC catalytic reaction.

Genotype of dengue virus serotype 1 in relation to severe dengue in Guangzhou, China.

Guangzhou has been the city most affected by the dengue virus (DENV) in China, with a predominance of DENV serotype 1 (DENV-1). Viral factors such as dengue serotype and genotype are associated with severe dengue (SD). However, none of the studies have investigated the relationship between DENV-1 genotypes and SD. To understand the association between DENV-1 genotypes and SD, the clinical manifestations of patients infected with different genotypes were investigated. A total of 122 patients with confirmed DENV-1 genotype infection were recruited for this study. The clinical manifestations, laboratory tests, and levels of inflammatory mediator factors were statistically analyzed to investigate the characteristics of clinical manifestations and immune response on the DENV-1 genotype. In the case of DENV-1 infection, the incidence of SD with genotype V infection was significantly higher than that with genotype I infection. Meanwhile, patients infected with genotype V were more common in ostealgia and bleeding significantly. In addition, levels of inflammatory mediator factors including IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-10, and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 were higher in patients with SD infected with genotype V. Meanwhile, the concentrations of regulated upon activation normal T-cell expressed and secreted and growth-related gene alpha were lower in patients with SD infected with genotype V. The higher incidence of SD in patients infected with DENV-1 genotype V may be attributed to elevated cytokines and adhesion molecules, along with decreased chemokines.

Arrhythmia onsets triggered by acute myocardial ischemia are not mediated by lysophosphoglycerides accumulation in ventricular myocardium.

Lysophosphoglycerides (LPLs) have been reported to accumulate in myocardium and serve as a cause of arrhythmias in acute myocardial ischemia. However, in this study we found that LPLs level in the ventricular myocardium was decreased by the onset of acute myocardial ischemia in vivo in rats. Decreasing of LPLs level in left ventricular myocardium, but not right, was observed within 26 min of left myocardial ischemia, regardless of whether arrhythmias were triggered. Lower LPLs level in the ventricular myocardium was also observed in aconitine-simulated ventricular fibrillation (P < 0.0001) and ouabain-simulated III° atrioventricular block (P < 0.0001). Shot-lasting electric shock, e.g., ≤ 40 s, decreased LPLs level, while long-lasting, e.g., 5 min, increased it (fold change = 2.27, P = 0.0008). LPLs accumulation was observed in long-lasting myocardial ischemia, e.g., 4 h (fold change = 1.20, P = 0.0012), when caspase3 activity was elevated (P = 0.0012), indicating increased cell death, but not coincided with higher frequent arrhythmias. In postmortem human ventricular myocardium, differences of LPLs level in left ventricular myocardium was not observed among coronary artery disease- and other heart diseases-caused sudden death and non-heart disease caused death. LPLs level manifested a remarkable increasing from postmortem 12 h on in rats, thus abolishing the potential for serving as biomarkers of sudden cardiac death. Token together, in this study we found that LPLs in ventricular myocardium were initially decreased by the onset of ischemia, LPLs accumulation do not confer arrhythmogenesis during acute myocardial ischemia. It is necessary to reassess the roles of LPLs in myocardial infarction.

Mendelian randomization and transcriptome analysis identified immune-related biomarkers for osteoarthritis.

Background: The immune microenvironment assumes a significant role in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA). However, the current biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of OA are not satisfactory. Our study aims to identify new OA immune-related biomarkers to direct the prevention and treatment of OA using multi-omics data. Methods: The discovery dataset integrated the GSE89408 and GSE143514 datasets to identify biomarkers that were significantly associated with the OA immune microenvironment through multiple machine learning methods and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). The identified signature genes were confirmed using two independent validation datasets. We also performed a two-sample mendelian randomization (MR) study to generate causal relationships between biomarkers and OA using OA genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary data (cases n = 24,955, controls n = 378,169). Inverse-variance weighting (IVW) method was used as the main method of causal estimates. Sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the robustness and reliability of the IVW results. Results: Three signature genes (FCER1G, HLA-DMB, and HHLA-DPA1) associated with the OA immune microenvironment were identified as having good diagnostic performances, which can be used as biomarkers. MR results showed increased levels of FCER1G (OR = 1.118, 95% CI 1.031-1.212, P = 0.041), HLA-DMB (OR = 1.057, 95% CI 1.045 -1.069, P = 1.11E-21) and HLA-DPA1 (OR = 1.030, 95% CI 1.005-1.056, P = 0.017) were causally and positively associated with the risk of developing OA. Conclusion: The present study identified the 3 potential immune-related biomarkers for OA, providing new perspectives for the prevention and treatment of OA. The MR study provides genetic support for the causal effects of the 3 biomarkers with OA and may provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms leading to the development of OA.

Pan-cancer analyses reveal genomics and clinical outcome association of the fatty acid oxidation regulators in cancer.

Background: Fatty acid oxidation (FAO) is considered to play a vital part in tumor metabolic reprogramming. But the comprehensive description of FAO dysregulation in tumors has not been unknown. Methods: We obtained FAO genes, RNA-seq data and clinical information from the Msigdb, TCGA and GTEx databases. We assessed their prognosis value using univariate cox analysis, survival analysis and Kaplan-Meier curve. We determined the function of FAO genes using gene set variation analysis. The correlation analysis was calculated by corrplot R package. Immunotherapy response was assessed through TIDE scores. The protein expression levels of FAO genes were validated using immunohistochemistry (IHC). Results: The FAO scores were highest in COAD but lowest in PCPG. FAO scores were significantly associated with the prognosis of some cancers in OS, DSS, DFI and PFI. Besides, gene set variation analysis identified that FAO scores were related to immune-related pathways, and immune infiltration analysis showed FAO scores were positively related to cancer-associated fibroblasts and various immune-related genes. TIDE scores were significantly decreased in ACC, CHOL, ESCA, GBM, LAML, SARC, SKCM and THCA compared with normal samples, while it was significantly increased in BLCA, LUAD, LUSC, PCPG, PRAD and STAD. Besides, most FAO genes were downregulated in pan-cancer compared with normal samples. Moreover, we found copy number variation (CNV) of FAO genes played a positive role in their mRNA expression, while methylation was negative. We determined FAO genes were closely related to some drugs in pan-cancer. Conclusions: FAO score is a novel and promising factor for predicting outcomes.

Impact of preoperative anemia on patients undergoing total joint replacement of lower extremity: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Preoperative anemia increases postoperative morbidity, mortality, and the risk of allogeneic transfusion. However, the incidence of preoperative anemia in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and its relationship to postoperative outcomes has not been previously reported. METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive literature search through PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Sincien, and Embase from inception to July 2023 to investigate the prevalence of preoperative anemia in patients undergoing Total Joint Arthroplasty, comorbidities between anemic and non-anemicpatients before surgery, and postoperative outcomes. postoperative outcomes were analyzed. Overall prevalence was calculated using a random-effects model, and heterogeneity between studies was examined by Cochran's Q test and quantified by the I2 statistic. Subgroup analyses and meta-regression analyses were performed to identify sources of heterogeneity. Publication bias was assessed by funnel plots and validated by Egger's test. RESULTS: A total of 21 studies with 369,101 samples were included, all of which were retrospective cohort studies. 3 studies were of high quality and 18 studies were of moderate quality. The results showed that the prevalence of preoperative anemia was 22% in patients awaiting arthroplasty; subgroup analyses revealed that the prevalence of preoperative anemia was highest in patients awaiting revision of total knee arthroplasty; the highest prevalence of preoperative anemia was found in the Americas; preoperative anemia was more prevalent in the female than in the male population; and preoperative anemia with a history of preoperative anemia was more common in the female than in the male population. patients with a history of preoperative anemia; patients with joint replacement who had a history of preoperative anemia had an increased risk of infection, postoperative blood transfusion rate, postoperative blood transfusion, Deep vein thrombosis of the lower limbs, days in hospital, readmission within three months, and mortality compared with patients who did not have preoperative anemia. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of preoperative anemia in patients awaiting total joint arthroplasty is 22%, and is higher in TKA and female patients undergoing revision, while preoperative anemia is detrimental to the patient's postoperative recovery and will increase the risk of postoperative complications, transfusion rates, days in the hospital, readmission rates, and mortality.

Extending the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM): The GRADE-TCM.

AIM: To extend and form the "Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation in Traditional Chinese Medicine" (GRADE-TCM). METHODS: Methodologies were systematically reviewed and analyzed concerning evidence-based TCM guidelines worldwide. A survey questionnaire was developed based on the literature review and open-end expert interviews. Then, we performed expert consensus, discussion meeting, opinion collection, external examination, and the GRADE-TCM was formed eventually. RESULTS: 265 Chinese and English TCM guidelines were included and analyzed. Five experts completed the open-end interviews. Ten methodological entries were summarized, screened and selected. One round of consensus was conducted, including a total of 22 experts and 220 valid questionnaire entries, concerning 1) selection of the GRADE, 2) GRADE-TCM upgrading criteria, 3) GRADE-TCM evaluation standard, 4) principles of consensus and recommendation, and 5) presentation of the GRADE-TCM and recommendation. Finally, consensus was reached on the above 10 entries, and the results were of high importance (with voting percentages ranging from 50 % to 81.82 % for "very important" rating) and strong reliability (with the Cr ranging from 0.93 to 0.99). Expert discussion meeting (with 40 experts), opinion collection (in two online platforms) and external examination (with 14 third-party experts) were conducted, and the GRADE-TCM was established eventually. CONCLUSION: GRADE-TCM provides a new extended evidence-based evaluation standard for TCM guidelines. In GRADE-TCM, international evidence-based norms, characteristics of TCM intervention, and inheritance of TCM culture were combined organically and followed. This is helpful for localization of the GRADE in TCM and internationalization of TCM guidelines.

Inhibitory effect of benzocaine from Schisandra chinensis on Alternaria alternata.

The clinical effects of Schisandra chinensis against human disease are well-documented; however, studies on its application in controlling plant pathogens are limited. Here, we investigated its inhibitory effect on the growth of Alternaria alternata, a fungus which causes significant post-harvest losses on apples, known as black spot disease. S. chinensis fruit extract exhibited strong inhibitory effects on the growth of A. alternata with an EC50 of 1882.00 mg/L. There were 157 compounds identified in the extract by high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, where benzocaine constituted 14.19% of the extract. Antifungal experiments showed that the inhibitory activity of benzocaine on A. alternata was 43.77-fold higher than the crude extract. The application of benzocaine before and after A. alternata inoculation on apples prevented the pathogen infection and led to mycelial distortion according to scanning electron microscopy. Transcriptome analysis revealed that there were 4226 genes differentially expressed between treated and untreated A. alternata-infected apples with benzocaine. Metabolomics analysis led to the identification of 155 metabolites. Correlation analysis between the transcriptome and metabolome revealed that benzocaine may inhibit A. alternata growth via the beta-alanine metabolic pathway. Overall, S. chinensis extract and benzocaine are environmentally friendly plant-based fungicides with potential to control A. alternata.

Complex effects of testosterone level on ectoparasite load in a ground squirrel: an experimental test for the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis.

BACKGROUND: The immunocompetence handicap hypothesis suggests that males with a higher testosterone level should be better at developing male secondary traits, but at a cost of suppressed immune performance. As a result, we should expect that males with an increased testosterone level also possess a higher parasite load. However, previous empirical studies aimed to test this prediction have generated mixed results. Meanwhile, the effect of testosterone level on parasite load in female hosts remains poorly known. METHODS: In this study, we tested this prediction by manipulating testosterone level in Daurian ground squirrels (Spermophilus dauricus), a medium-sized rodent widely distributed in northeast Asia. S. dauricus is an important host of ticks and fleas and often viewed as a considerable reservoir of plague. Live-trapped S. dauricus were injected with either tea oil (control group) or testosterone (treatment group) and then released. A total of 10 days later, the rodents were recaptured and checked for ectoparasites. Fecal samples were also collected to measure testosterone level of each individual. RESULTS: We found that testosterone manipulation and sex of hosts interacted to affect tick load. At the end of the experiment, male squirrels subjected to testosterone implantation had an averagely higher tick load than males from the control group. However, this pattern was not found in females. Moreover, testosterone manipulation did not significantly affect flea load in S. dauricus. CONCLUSIONS: Our results only lent limited support for the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis, suggesting that the role of testosterone on regulating parasite load is relatively complex, and may largely depend on parasite type and gender of hosts.

[Soil Microbial Community Structure and Functional Diversity Character of Abandoned Farmland in Minqin Oasis].

To clarify the impact of the structure and function of soil microbial communities in the stage of abandoned farmland, three different stages of land abandoned in desert oasis areas were selected as the research objects. We used metagenomic sequencing technology to research soil microbial community structure and functional diversity characteristics of different stages of abandoned farmland. The results showed that there were significant differences in the relative abundance of the dominant phyla Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Gemmatimonadetes in the soil of the three stages of returning farmland. Compared with that in the early stage of abandoned farmland, the later stage of abandoned farmland restoration increased the gene proportion involved in Quorum sensing, porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism, pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis, and styrene degradation, and there was a significant difference in relative abundance (P<0.05), which indicated that different stages of abandoned farmland had changed the functional potential of the nutrient cycle and energy metabolism in soil microbial communities. The RDA results showed that EC, AK, and TN had a significant impact on the functional composition of soil microbes, and soil EC had the greatest impact on microbial functional composition. The results showed that different stages of abandoned farmland had a significant impact on the soil microbial community structure and functional composition. In the ecological restoration of abandoned farmland in Minqin Oasis, the sensitivity of microbial community structure and functional composition to soil restoration at different stages should be considered using comprehensive relevant indicators.